


A Comfortable Familiarity

by tabbytabbytabby



Series: Game of Thrones Season 8 [1]
Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Reflection, Season/Series 08
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2019-04-16
Packaged: 2020-01-15 03:51:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18490765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tabbytabbytabby/pseuds/tabbytabbytabby
Summary: Arya reflects on her relationship with Gendry





	A Comfortable Familiarity

**Author's Note:**

> I've been shipping these two for years, but this is my first time actually writing something for them. The season 8 premiere had me needing to do something.

Arya stands on the battlements of Winterfell looking out at the snow covered ground. Winter truly is here. They always knew it would come, but it had always felt like some far off time.

She had never seen a true winter, at least not that she remembers. Her mother had always told her it snowed heavily on the night she was born. Then the next morning the sun was shining down on them, and the snow starting to melt. She joked that Arya had brought spring with her when she came into this world.

It makes her wonder what sort of thing had been born to produce such a winter. She probably already knows the answer to that. The thought makes her shiver and pull her cloak tighter around her.

She should head inside soon and warm up by the fire. She just can’t bring herself to do it yet.

The crunching of snow under feet has her stilling and her hand going instinctively to needle. She knows she’s home. There’s a greater chance of this being friend than foe, but she’s learned not to be too comfortable.

The sound of a familiar voice has her relaxing.

“Lady Stark.”

Arya turns her head towards Gendry, “I told you not to call me that.”

Gendry doesn’t look deterred. He steps up next to her, resting his arms on the cold snow covered concrete. “What am I supposed to call you then?”

“Arya,” she says. “That is my name.”

Gendry smiles, “I think I like m’lady better.”

“How much do you like your tongue?” Arya asks him.

Gendry just smiles wider, “I am rather attached to it.”

Arya can’t help it. She starts laughing, something that has been a lot easier since Gendry got here. Jon too. But Gendry is a big part of it.

It’s been easy slipping back into their old ways. Except she knows that it is different. For both of them. They’re older now, and have been through too much, changed too much, for things between them to be the same.

But there’s still a comfortable familiarity.

She remembers looking at him before. How despite her best efforts she’d grown to like him. He’d been a comfort and someone she could rely on when there wasn’t anyone else. And then he was gone.

She’d spent a lot of time being angry about that. And has thought countless times about where he might be. If he was alive. What it would be like to see him again.

It hadn’t been what she was expecting. Seeing him riding into Winterfell and then again in the forge brought up feelings she never let herself think about.

Sansa was always the one talking about meeting a handsome lord and falling in love. She talked about it all the time. How she’d marry him and have his children and be his lady.

Arya had never wanted that. She’d always wanted to be like her father. A knight. To have a sword and fight battles and care for herself.

In a way she got that. Though not necessarily in the way she was expecting. She’s not a night, but she has her sword. She’s fought her fair share and is more than capable of taking care of herself.

Looking at Gendry she finds himself imagining other things. Things she never thought she would want. Like the way it would feel to have his arms wrapped around her. The way his mouth would feel against hers.

Along with that comes the image of the two of them fighting together, standing side by side in battle. Grinning over at each other before charging out to meet their enemy.

Before she just wanted Gendry to stay and for them to be family. Now there are so many things running through her head.

“Is everything alright, Arya?”

Arya starts at the sound of her name coming from his lips. She turns to face him fully, squaring her shoulders as she looks at him determinedly. “What do you think of me?”

“What?”

“What do you think of me?” Arya repeats.

“Is this going to end with me answering wrong and you killing me?” Gendry asks.

Arya rolls her eyes, “Of course not. Now answer my question.”

“I’m still trying to figure out what you’re asking.”

“What do you think of me?” Arya asks for the third time. “Do you like me?”

“Of course I like you,” Gendry says, his brow furrowing in confusion. “You’re my friend.”

“But is that all? Or do you…” Arya stops, not sure how to voice what she’s really asking.

Gendry takes a step closer, “Do I what?”

“Want to marry me.”

Gendry stares at her for a moment, his face unreadable. Then a slow smile forms on his lips. “I should have known you’d be the one to ask.”

“I’m not asking!” Arya says. “I only wanted to know if that’s how you see me.”

“Could I see myself marrying you?” Gendry asks, and Arya nods. “Yes. I could. Is that something you would want?”

Arya thinks about it. She’s never thought about anyone the way she thinks about Gendry. And he understands her. He wouldn’t expect her to wear pretty dresses and behave like a lady.

“Maybe someday,” Arya says. “If we make it out of this alive.”

“Something to live for.”

Gendry smiles and leans down, kissing her cheek. When he starts to pull away, Arya turns her head, leaning up further to kiss him quickly on the lips.

If he’s surprised, he doesn’t show it. “What was that for?”

“I wanted to see what it was like,” Arya says.

“And?”

Arya shrugs, “I guess I wouldn’t mind doing it again.”

Gendry laughs, “Life with you is always going to be interesting.”

“I have to keep you on your toes,” she tells him.

“You always do,” he assures her. “If we want to keep our toes we should head inside and warm up.”

Arya nods. She looks out into the distance again, repressing a shiver at the thought of what is coming. They’re going to make it out. They have to. They didn’t fight this hard to get back to each other only to die a bloody and cold death.

She follows Gendry into the hall, ignoring the looks Sansa and Jon send their way. Those conversations can wait. They were going to be battles all on their own. She knows that as long as they all make it out of this alive, she’ll be ready to face anything else that comes her way.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos/Comments make my day. ♥  
> [My tumblr](http://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/)


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